Sorry, no tourist visa if all you want to do is sightsee

This article from BBC News about the sometimes ridiculous reasons tourist visas are rejected in the U.K. makes me wonder if there are similar issues with visas for those who want to attend a meeting there. From the article:

UK tourist visas are often denied to would-be visitors because they "plan a holiday for no particular purpose other than sightseeing", a report says. Others were turned down because they had never previously taken any foreign travel or could not speak English...

Linda Costelloe Baker's report said that despite such flaws there had been "significant improvement in quality." But she said entry clearance officers could use "some ridiculous reasons when refusing visa for tourist visits". She said a common reason for refusal was "you wish to go to the UK for a holiday. You have never previously undertaken any foreign travel before and I can see little reason for this trip".

It makes me wonder what we'd see if someone studied the reasons why applications are rejected in other countries, too. I can't imagine this is just a U.K. issue.